Near Real Time Steering: The Organizational Cockpit at the Strategic Level

Abstract

In an increasingly competitive environment, a more efficient management of resources is of utmost importance. However, despite the recognized importance given to the organization's strategy, many still remain focused on the usual budgeting cycle to financially control their actions. This short-term and incremental tactical behavior does not allow decisors to focus on what lies beyond the horizon. The Organizational Cockpit concept emerges as a strategic management system, in near real time, as an attempt to explain and communicate the organization's strategy at all levels. It fosters strategic performance monitoring and measuring by providing information on how the “flight” is doing, thus creating the conditions to allow strategic navigation, permitting to assess performance and, at the same time, information about actions taken, the resources used and their result. This concept can also be used to assess the organization's performance within the Portuguese Integrated Management System and Performance Evaluation in Public Administration.